His whole body is now shaking like a leaf and no fucking wonder. He’s killed at least one, if not two men. That explains the blood.
“It was them or me,” Cas cries out.
“No one’s criticising you, boy,” Hellfire booms. “We’re in awe of you. You did what had to be done.”
“Fuckin’ proud of you, Son,” Liz thunders. “Those men weren’t human, they were fuckin’ scum. Animals who deserved what they got. Fuckin’ proud, you hear me?”
Lizard’s words are echoed around the table.
Shayla leans forward on my lap. “Cas? Those men, well, they were probably ones who hurt me.” She means raped. “I’m glad you hurt them.”
I squeeze my fingers into her slightly.
“What then?” Prez asks.
Cas shrugs as if it was nothing. “I crept through the house, managed to get out. I didn’t see anyone else, but there were cars parked and I tried them all until I found one that was unlocked and that I could start, one which Mace had talked me through hotwiring. Got it started and headed out. Didn’t know where the hell I was for a while, just drove around. Then I saw a sign for Pueblo and headed this way.”
“You can’t drive,” remarks Vanna.
“I can now,” says Cas with a grin, followed by a frown. “Though it was a bit scary, and I didn’t want to end up in a ditch again. I knew I had one chance, and that was to get here.”
Cas’s eyes close briefly.
“Fuckin’ proud of you, Son.” Liz says firmly. His eyes are glistening.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lizard
I told Cas I was fucking proud of him, but words weren’t adequate to express just how impressed I was. Was I pleased he carried a switchblade? No, because whatever weapon you carry, someone’s probably got one bigger, and that’s a lesson Cas needs teaching. But if you do carry, you should be prepared to use it, and Cas has certainly shown that.
I hate he heard what Major intended for him, hate that he had to, from the sounds of it, kill or at least cause serious injury to escape, but he’d only done what was necessary. As I’d told him, men who talk about kids like that deserve to be put down like the scum they are.
Having told his story, the bravado he called on to make his escape seems to leave Cas, and he’s now leaning into Vanna and her arms are around him.
Prez speaks gently, “Cas, I think your dad’s spoken for us all. A man has to do what has to be done to get out of a tricky situation. You did good, little Brother.” Words from the prez which Cas should take to heart. Especially when they’re echoed from around the table. Grown men would have hesitated to do what my kid had done. “Now,” Demon continues, “you need to get a shower and give your mom some loving as she’s been worried out of her mind. So, Cas, Vanna, and Shayla, gonna ask that you leave us now.”
I notice Shayla stand immediately, but she looks shaky on her feet, and sitting close to the couple, hear Mace reassure her he’ll be with her as soon as he can.
“Cas, look after your mom.” I nod pointedly at Vanna who looks like she’s about to drop, a combination of relief, and of running on adrenaline all evening before Rusty at last persuaded her to take that chill pill.
When the three leave us, I fold my arms on the table and let my head drop onto them, breath leaves me in a shudder.
“Fuckin’ amazing kid you’ve got there, Liz.”
“Major thought he was dealing with a scared kid who didn’t know which way was up. Couldn’t have had any idea he’d be resourceful enough to escape. He didn’t know he was dealing with one of our boys.” Muff sums it up. My kid’s a chip off his Satan’s Devils’ Dad’s block.
No one needs to tell me how incredible he is, I already know. He’d done what he had to do to escape, but when it catches up with him, he’ll go down hard. My mind’s still swirling around what he’d done, and it takes a moment to remember there are other things at stake. Things the enforcer is about to remind me. We’ve won round one, but not the war.
“Major knows where Shayla is,” Mace says tersely. “Now he’s lost his bargaining chip, he’ll be coming to take her back.”
“The man clearly doesn’t take kindly to losing his property,” Hellfire remarks.
Demon’s rapping the table. “Major’s two men down, question is, is he ready to come at us straight away?” His fingers knock against the table again. “He’s out of his hometown, was prepared to kidnap and trade, is he geared up for a full-on attack, or does he have to prepare for it?”
Cad’s hands are flying over his keyboard. I watch his face. He types, waits with eyes scrunched, then types again. The tap-tapping hasn’t just caught mine, but everyone’s attention.
“Cad?” Prez asks.
When Cad holds up his hand obviously to ask us to wait, we do. Cad wouldn’t be casually replying to a friend in church, so whatever he’s doing will have something to do with the matter in hand.
“Damn,” Cad swears, thumping his hand on the table. “He’s fuckin’ gone.”
“Who?” Demon asks fast. “Who were you talking to, Cad?”
“Fuck knows,” he replies. Which doesn’t seem helpful, until he explains, “Got a contact on the dark web who seems to have eyes on Major.”
“Who, Cad?” Demon asks again.
Cad shakes his head. “That’s the problem, I don’t know. We could take the info as kosher or dismiss it as someone wanting to lead us down the wrong track.”
“Major himself? Trying to mislead us?” Bomber asks.
Cad stares at his screen as if willing it to give him answers. “I don’t know who this is, but the IP address is in Utah. Apart from that, I can’t track it down to anything else.” He stares at Prez. “This dude has details about us, and I don’t like it. He’s mentioned Shayla and us, and that Major’s lost Cas.”
“Not that he’s back with us?” Rusty queries fast.
“No, I don’t think he knows that.”
“Fucker knows too much about our business,” Wills growls.
“Hang on, Cad. Who do we know in Utah?”
“Snatcher?” Beef suggests, mentioning the name of the prez there. “Could it be the Satan’s Devils Utah chapter?”
“Uh-uh.” Cad rejects the suggestion. “Utah’s the one chapter who doesn’t have a me or Mouse in it. They’re about as computer illiterate as it’s possible to get.”
“Cad’s right,” Demon agrees. “Snatcher would offer us manpower but has never been able to help on the info side. Leaving the who aside for the moment, what’s the intel, Cad? Is he just telling us what we already know, or offering something else?”
“Something else, Prez. Major has men who protect his business, but not ones trained to take out a compound like ours. He’s looking for guns to hire.”
“Mercenaries?”
Cad nods. “Looks that way. He must have made his move after Cas got away and put an ad up on the dark web. Apparently, he’s getting ready for a hit in a few days’ time.”
“You can do that?” asks Beaver. “Just put up a wanted ad for mercenaries?”
“Sure, but not in the normal places, somewhere where only men of that ilk would go looking,” Cad explains. “Buried deep on the dark web where no one else would find it. Which,” he looks at Prez, “let’s me know whoever this contact is, he’s got skills way beyond mine.”
I’m not the only one worried. An irate man lashing out and hitting us in the heat of his anger that he’s lost Cas is one thing. A man planning, bringing in people who’re presumably trained and know how to use the arms they’re carrying is something else.
“What about sending the women and Theo away?” I suggest. “I know we dismissed it before, but I’d prefer Vanna and Cas to be far away when any shit goes down.”
Demon looks tired. “Personally speaking, I’d like Vi and Theo removed from any harm, but there’s a risk Major’s still watching everything we’re doing. He learned enough to take Cas, who the fuck knows what other information he has?”
&
nbsp; Ink’s shaking his head. “We’d have to go with them to prevent an ambush on the road. What if Major’s looking for revenge as well as Mace’s woman? He could come at us when we’ve only half the brothers here to protect the compound.”
“We stay on lockdown,” Demon decides, having weighed the risks up. “We sew this place up tight. Cad? Your contact able to tell us when to expect the hit?”
“From what he’s said, it will take a couple of days for Major to set up what he needs to.”
“You sure it’s not a message from Major himself, trying to mislead us?”
Cad looks thoughtful. “It’s always a chance. But something tells me, it’s worth taking this info as legit.”
Prez pinches the bridge of his nose. “We’ll work toward that while staying prepared for Major to come to us before the deadline.”
“I don’t like it, Prez,” Pyro throws in, looking pale. I know he’ll be terrified of anything happening to his pregnant wife. While having someone else to protect is new to me, I have to remember, there are other men with the same feelings. “But if I’ve got a couple of days, I’ve got some ideas.”
Demon nods. “Ideas are what we want, Brothers. We’re going to have everything that means something to us here. Ro, what are you thinking?”
“Well, Prez. They could hit us from the front, or the sides, or the rear. If it was me, I’d be looking at multiple entry points to hit us hard. So, I’m thinking I’ll get my hands on some trip wires and mines, put a ring around our perimeter. If a fucker gets too close to one of them, he’ll be a dead fucker.”
Mines? I don’t bother asking where Pyro can get his hands on them.
“Nowhere near the gym, I fuckin’ hope,” Ink mumbles, his brow creased in concern. But he’s got a woman too. I guess if he has to start his project from the ground up again in order to keep Beth safe, it will be a small sacrifice.
“You,” Pyro points at Ink, “are going to fuckin’ help.”
Yeah. Ink’s handy with explosives too.
“Good idea.” Cad is nodding. “As soon as a wire or mine is triggered, we can set off the rest. Take out anyone who’s approaching or give them something to think about.”
“Two lines,” I put in. “They might get over the first, then think they’re safe and be less vigilant. If they’re mercs, they won’t stop to bury their dead.”
Yeah, as the likelihood is, they’ll be looking at their individual paychecks, and won’t necessarily be friends with the man who’s just lost his life.
“No women, dogs or kids to leave the clubhouse,” Prez announces.
“Max will need to shit, Prez,” Beef puts in. “Pyro will have to set up the explosives beyond our fence line.”
That will work. Beef prepared the rear of the compound to be safe for his blind wife. The flattened area is fenced to keep both her and Theo away from the dangerous parts. like the remains of the furnace where they used to smelt down trains. It’s big enough to take half a locomotive at a time, a death-trap for anyone who doesn’t know it’s there.
“I’ll set up more cameras, Prez, so we know what’s happening at all times.”
“I’ll keep the drone up,” puts in Paladin. “I got spare batteries in, it’s just a matter of keeping them charged and swapping them out.”
Prez is nodding. “Pyro’s defence line isn’t just early warning of an attack from the rear, it allows us to focus our manpower on the front line. The gates, as we know, are our vulnerable point.”
Conversation continues for a while, concentrating on ammunition, guns and where we’ll be positioned.
Eventually, Ink stares at Mace and asks, “Shayla got a golden pussy or something?”
When Mace growls and looks like he’s going to launch himself over the table, Ink holds up his hands. “Hey, man. Just wondering why Major’s willing to pay such a price to get her back. Surely, his normal MO would be to take another girl off the street.”
Bomber supplies an answer which I think is right. “Doubt it’s the woman herself, just the principle of the matter. By taking us on, he’s sending a message, ‘don’t fuck with me, or I’ll hit you hard.’”
“What about Esme?” I wonder aloud. “If he’s so keen to get his hands on his property, won’t he go after her too?”
Demon nods. “You’re right. I was in touch with her dad earlier on tonight. He’s assured me he’s got Esme covered.”
“He can’t have a clue what he’s up against.” I shake my head.
“Oh, I think he does.” Prez grins as if he knows something we don’t. “And don’t forget, he’s got the law on his side.”
Which we haven’t. I can just imagine the laughs we’d get were we to ask the cops for assistance.
Prez bangs the gavel. “Okay. We’ll meet again tomorrow. I want plans fuckin’ A, B and C worked out, so we all know what we’re doing.”
At last I’m free to go to see my wife and son. Mace calls me back as I’m about to leave. “Your fuckin’ son.” He shakes his head. “Chip off the old Jarhead’s block.”
I stare at him, then grin. “You better fuckin’ believe it, Army Dog.”
“What’s happening, Liz?” Vanna stands as soon as I emerge into the clubroom, as if she’s been waiting on me to come out. I beckon her and Cas over to a quiet table in the corner, making the split-second decision to include my son in anything I’m going to tell her. Kid proved he was a fucking man tonight.
I wait until they’re seated. Without asking, Dirt runs over and puts a beer into my hand. I take it, then sit, leaning with my elbows on the table. “We’re on lockdown,” I tell them. “Which means you two, and every other man, woman, and child will be here on the compound.”
“Major’s coming for me.”
“He’s coming for Shayla,” I correct my son. “But yeah, can’t deny it. If he breaks through our defences, he’ll take anyone he can get his hands on.”
“We have to leave,” Vanna says fast.
A corner of my mouth turns up. “Safest here, darlin’. I’m a Marine, Ink too. Mace, Pyro, Dirt and Nails are Army. A lot of men here have served, or if they haven’t, they been dragged up in the school of hard knocks. Major has no fuckin’ idea of what he’s taking on. No one fuckin’ messes with the Satan’s Devils.”
At that moment, Ink walks over and speaks into my ear. I nod at the news, and a full smile arrives on my face. As he moves off to spread the news, I turn to Vanna whose head’s tilted to the side.
“RIP, he’s the prez of the local chapter of the Wretched Soulz, well, it seems they haven’t had fun for a while, so he’s sending some boys to the clubhouse. It will be a bit crowded, but hell, we won’t be turning a few more guns away.”
“The Wretched Soulz?” Cas’s eyes have gone wide. “Hell, yeah.”
Hell, yeah is right. I grin at my son. They’re certainly not afraid of getting their hands dirty and will be good to have on our side. Put it this way, rather they had our backs than were the ones gunning for us.
I notice the room has become emptier than it was before, and out of the window, a slight lightening of the sky. Well fuck, we’ve been up and talking most of the night. We’re probably all running on fumes.
I pull my stick toward me and get to my feet. “Let’s go to bed. Cas, you’re sleeping with us tonight.”
Vanna sends a look of relief my way. It was obvious mother and son didn’t want to be parted. And this dad wasn’t going to be missing out.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Lizard
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
Having emptied the chamber, I reload.
“Getting faster, Liz.” Mace nods approvingly, then smirks. “Even hit the target a couple of times.”
“Couple of fuckin’ times?” I growl. “Every one of those last bullets was a bull’s-eye.”
“Lucky shots.”
He’s not going to give up giving me hell, but I really don’t mind. Seems now my brain has decided to start cooperating, my recovery’s speedin
g up all the time. That pistol is in my right hand, and while I’m still slow getting a new magazine in, whatever Mace has said, my accuracy is fine. If Major steps into my sights, he’s going down.
“We better get back, Liz.”
Yeah, we had. We’d gotten the okay from Demon to come out to our range for a while to see if I could handle a gun in my right hand, but he didn’t want us gone for long. If Major wasn’t the fucking reason I was pushing myself so hard, I’d be more pleased than I am that I’m steadily returning to normal.
“Joking apart, Brother,” Mace tells me seriously as we walk back down, “you’re coming along in leaps and bounds.”
I think the need to protect my family has kicked my brain into gear and made me stop fucking around. I may walk with a slight limp, but at least I’m getting around without that damn stick which I hate.
“Cas doing okay?”
“Yeah.” I glance at the enforcer. “With all the comings and goings, all the people around, I don’t think he’s yet come down. With everyone telling him how good he did to escape, he’s still on a fuckin’ high.”
The clubhouse is full to overflowing. RIP, his VP Charmer and the Wretched Soulz sergeant-at-arms, Bam Bam, have taken over Demon’s and Shayla’s old rooms, both Cas and Vanna are in with me—my son might be cramping my style, but I’ll not complain and rather he be close—and Shayla’s in with Mace. Along with the officers, three other Wretched Soulz have come to help us, and are camping out in our clubroom.
“It’s going to hit him hard at some point,” Mace observes as we near the clubhouse, giving a wave to Pyro and Wills who are trailing wire along the ground. “But we’re all going to be here for him when it does, Brother. Lots of us coped with that shit and are still around.”
First time you take a man’s life, whatever the reason, whether it was him or you, it’s always difficult to come to terms when you realise the blood you have on your hands. “Just got to keep him knowing there was no other way.” I nod at Mace, appreciating the support he’s offering.
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